SOLOMON'S FUTURE?

In my recent letter to my son Solomon at the Kolfe boys orphanage, I asked him how long he was going to be there and what he expected to do when he got out. Here is his response. I wanted to share this with you because I really believe the Lord wants us to know and understand what these orphans are really going through. How many of you know an orphan personally? As it states in James 1:27, Pure and undefiled religion is to care for the orphan.... I can't help but think about how isolated we Americans are from them. Our lives and our culture are so different than other countries. We really don't have a lot of opportunity to get involved in the lives of orphans. So, this is why I believe the Lord wants me share my relationship with Solomon. To open our eyes and hearts to the plight of the orphan!

Solomon's Letter dated 5/14/08

Mom, I like the chocolate very much. I bought trousers and shoes by the money you sent for me. Thank you for everything. Mom I will graduate next years. Then the camps will give me 4000birr and then I will leave from the campus. After that I will find rent houses. When I get the house I am very lucky when I don’t get the house I don’t know what to do. Here in Ethiopia rent houses are very expensive you don’t get rent houses easily. So for many kolfe young guys this is the main problem that faced with them. When they leaving the campus many of them going to street because they don’t get a work easily because of this they can’t afford money for rent in this time the inflation rate is the world problem. So, 40000 birr is not enough to do.(approx. $400) I don’t think that I get government work. But I am thinking that to open my own business by 4000 birr after leaving the campus I think to open computer service center. But it need more money the computers are very expensive the houses also very expensive. I don’t know how possible to open my own business.

When I am alone I always thinking this why God create me without family? What kinds of plan he has for me? He loves me? When he loves me why he did this to me? I don’t get an answer for this question just crying my life is full of sorrow. I am not happy even for one day just always come to my mind who am I? But I hope that one day I get an answer for my entire question. I always found my self.

Mom, I always love you. You are always in my heart I crying last night just think about you. I don’t crying like this even when I lost my father. I know it is not possible to live with you but my heart is not accepted this reality. I don’t know before what to love mean but know no one defined the world love. Love means that to love some one greater than your self. I love you mom greater than my self. May be one day we meet each other for talking one and the last time. Until then you are in my prayer. I love you very much. I can’t wait to hug and kiss you my mom. Thank you for everything mom.

Love your son Solomon


This young man will be let out of the orphanage with $400 and no one to love him, help him, guide him into his next season of life. He has no where to live, no relatives or friends outside of the orphanage. Can you imagine being so alone and hopeless?

This weekend we just celebrated our son Jonathan's High School graduation and his 18th birthday. He is our first graduate from Mestas Christian Academy, with six more to go. We have homeschooled for 13 years with an intentional focus on preparing him to be a God's man, a career, and to be a husband and father someday. He has been such a gift to our lives and we have been so blessed to have had all these years to spend so much time together learning, laughing and loving. He is now preparing to be a Firefighter. He has been blessed with a wonderful family and support group around him his entire life. We have been blessed with a large family who gives lots of love and support.

As I compare him to my son at Kolfe, my heart grieves for Solomon. He has had no one cheering him on, intentionally training and loving him. Helping him to be prepared for his graduation, career, to be a God's man, husband and father some day. I am on my knees begging the Lord to show us how we can help him. I am praying that somehow, we can bring him home here to live with us. This is going to take a miracle and I am asking for it. I am so humbled and honored to have Solomon in my life. He has such a sweet and kind heart. Please join me in prayer for him. He is only one year from graduation and being released from Kolfe. AND THEN WHAT? Who will be there to love him, give him a home, help him find a job, and make the important decisions, find his wife, be a husband & father? I want to be his MOM, Jerry wants to be his DAD!! All we need is the Lord to show us how? Please, please pray for the LORD to make a way where there seems to be no way!